OSLO — Usain Bolt advised Australian sprinter Gout Gout to surround himself with a strong support team to stay focused on his career and avoid distractions from track and field success. The counsel came ahead of Gout Gout's Diamond League debut in the 200 metres in Oslo on June 10, 2026.

"At that young age, because I was there, you start getting put left and right, and then you forget track and field," said Bolt, the eight-times Olympic gold medallist who holds the world record in the 200 metres with 19.19 seconds and in the 100 metres with 9.58 seconds. "Hopefully, he has the right set of people to guide him and keep him focused on track and field because the rest of the stuff will always be there. But if you mess up on track and field, then it all goes away."

Gout Gout, the son of South Sudanese immigrants, has earned comparisons with Bolt and is being talked about in Australia as a potential gold medallist for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. In Oslo, he will line up in a field led by reigning Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana.

At the Australian Athletics Championships in April 2026, Gout Gout clocked 19.67 seconds to win the 200 metres title. He also won the under-20 100 metres event at the same championships in 10.21 seconds. The April 2026 run marked the first time he had recorded a legally sub-20-second time in the 200 metres.

In December 2024, Gout Gout clocked 20.04 seconds at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships. That time broke Peter Norman's national record of 20.06 seconds set at the 1968 Olympics and was the fastest ever by a 16-year-old. He later improved his personal best to 20.02 seconds prior to his April 2026 run.